That's one of my favorite pictures, Spousal Unit having lunch at the Praia Da Roca, Portimao, Portugal.
Gotta love dem Fridays.
My earliest memories of the Friday feeling goes back to Junior High. The day would whiz past, since I wasn't really paying attention to my schoolwork. My mind was on getting out of class and making my appearance at home. Before going out with my best buddy Perry.
If I could convice my father to let me go over to spend the night at Perry's home, (usually not too hard, he always was in a better mood on Fridays... See, it's contagious), then off I would go.
Perry's Mom had passed away a few years before, so his Dad would go off to socialize with his friends. This meant me and Perry would be alone and preparing for mischief. Mischief for us was doing what we wanted, or watching tv. Actually, we were very sedate, compared to our peers. We really weren't interested in smoking dope or even drinking. Just didn't occur to us! Ok, we were quite boring. But it was better than being in trouble. Coulda used a girlfriend, but that would mean going to a dance. Like that was an option to us two nerds. I still can't dance.
Sure wish I had known that I was going to be a boater, in the future. I had no idea that it was all available to me, you don't need to have money. The Sea Scouts, various yacht clubs, all welcome youthful boaters. All ya gotta do is be there, ready to lend a hand and you can go sailing. The San Francisco Bay Area is probably one of the best sailing locations, anywhere.
So, ever since those days, thirty years gone by, Friday has meant something.
Fast forward to the present; I like to sneak off from work, around five o'clock go find my girlfriend. I cook her up a filet mignon, and I force her to enjoy red wine with the meal, since one should have a dry wine with boeuf. Usually a Cabernet or a Bordeaux. After a fine meal of burnt meat and steamed veggie's, we sometimes break out the Champagne or Methode Champagnois stuff. I recommend the Piper Sonoma-- about eleven bucks a bottle, and the taste is very close to the French stuff costing twice.
Always doing my part to keep the costs down.
Then it is off to the backyard hot tub. Something about stars, hot water, and the afore mentioned bubbly to round out the night. Really, someone has to do it.
One time, about three years ago, we were watching all the lights and stars. Then this bright light starts moving on what looks to be a easterly course. I commented on seeing some fast moving navigation lights, probably F-15's zig zagging about the sky. But the one light seemed to be motionless.
Then the light exploded, in a flash, it was growing smaller, and falling. We silently watched, with our mouths open, champagne glasses in the right hand, gawking at a falling light.
"Is that thing heading for us...?" She said, nervously.
"Yep. If it is a large aircraft, we don't have a chance to get out of the way of the impact", I bravely said. "I think someone just got smoked by those F-15's. "This is not good".
So Spousal Unit says,"Should we call 911?"
"No. "They are well aware, and if there is an emergency, they don't need to hear from us." "Looks like whatever it was, it hit the ocean."
We quietly finished the bottle, and head in for the night.
The news came out the next day, "Final Atlas launch from Cape Canaveral, NASA uses last of the giant rockets to spectacularly launch satellite into space. Switchboards inundated by concerned citizens who saw fireball of staging rocket as it leapt into orbit."
Gotta love Florida!!!! No wonder I keep coming back. Just for the show...
Thames Sailing Barge near Isle of Sheppy, Shearness UK
Tonight? Tim Dorsey's book signing at "Pastime".
I hope my three readers have a great weekend, and stay safe out there, ya hear?
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